POEPHYRIOLA.— PULICA. 329 



built at a height of two or three feet from the ground among green reeds and flags. 

 The eggs are from five to seven in number, and are of a pinkish-cream colour, closely 

 speckled with minute dots of chocolate-brown and underlying pale purple; the 

 markings are very small and distinct. 



Subfam. FULICINM 

 The Coots, though closely allied in structure and general appearance, as well as in 

 plumage, to the Rails and Moor-hens, especially to the latter, differ from them in their 

 lobed and Grebe-like feet, having the toes furnished with scalloped webs. They are 

 spread over the greater part of the globe, not extending to the Arctic Regions, but 

 breeding in the temperate portions of the Old and New Worlds, being especially 

 plentiful in South America, where the majority of the species occur, only one 

 inhabiting our region. 



FULICA. 



Fulica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 257 (1766); Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 209 (1894). 

 The characters of the genus are the same as those of the subfamily. 



1. Fulica americana. 



Fulica americana, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 704'; Scl. P. Z. S. 185 7, p. 206 "; 1859, p. 369'; 1864, 

 p. 179*; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 64°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 230'; 1860, p. 45'; 

 P.Z.S. 1888, p. 468^ Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 143'; Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. 

 p. 312'°; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 50"; Duges, La Nat. i. p. 142 '%• v. Frantz. 

 J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 375 '^ Salv. P.Z.S. 1870, p. 219"; Ibis, 1889, p. 378 " ; Sumichr. 

 La Nat. v. p. 229 "; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Amer. i. p. 393 " ; Ferrari- 

 Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 177 "; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. pp. 186", 3.27'°; Stone, 

 Pr. Acad. Philad. 1890, p. 217 " ; Richm. Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 528 ==' ; Allen, Bull. 

 Amer. Mus. N. H. v. p. 33 " ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxiii. p. 221 " ; A. O. U. 

 Check-list N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 81 '': Gates, Cat. Eggs Brit. Mus. i. p. 131 ''. 



Fulica atra (nee Linn.), Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 3 " ; Cab. J. f. Grn. 1863, p. 59 ''. 



Fulica leucopyga, Wagler, Isis, 1831, p. 518". 



Sordide schistacea, remigibus cinerascenti-brunneis, alse spurise plumis et primario extemo albo limbatis ; 

 secundariis quoque albo terminatis, intimis dorso concoloribus ; pileo et collo undique nigerrimis ; corpore 

 reliquo subtus scbistaceo, abdomine pallidiore, plumis anguste albo limbatis; subcaudalibus nigris, 

 lateralibus albis ; subalaribus cinereis, vix albido limbatis : rostro lacteo, apice caernlescente et utrinque 

 macula brunnea ornato ; chlamyde saturate castanea, antice flavicante ; pedibus laete flavicanti-viridibus, 

 tibiae parte nuda aurantiaco-rubra, digitis clarius cinereis, scuteUis flaviciinti-viridi indicatis. Long, tota 

 14-5, alffi 7'8, caudsB 2-0, culm. 1-2, tarsi 2-25. (Descr. av. adulti ex Lake of Duenas. Mus. nostr.) 



Hob. North America, from Greenland and Alaska southward's. — Mexico [Wagler ^^, 

 Deppe & Schiede ''' ^8)^ Sonora, Pachico, Cachuta {Bobinette ^^), Matamoros [Dres- 

 ser'^''), Tamesi, Tampico {Bichardson^'^), Mazatlan (Grayson ^^, Forrer^^), Colima 

 [Xantus^'^), Guanajuato, Guadalajara {Duges ^^), Valley of Mexico {Herrera ^^^^), 

 BIOL. CENTK.-AMEK., Aves, Vol. III., April 1903. 42 



